Register for pin-pool.



N. A. ARGHIBALD. REGISTER FOR PIN BOOL. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29, 1907.

Patented Jan. 26, 1909.

qwvlmeooeo 6 I .1 4? I/ UNITED STATES PATENT FFIQE.

NEVIN A. ARGHIBALD, OF CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOSEATON W. WILLIAMS, OF CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA.

REGISTER FOR PIN-POOL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 26, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NEVIN A. ARGHIBALD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Concord, in the county of Cabarrus and State of NorthCarolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Registers forPin-Pool, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a register for socalled pin pool. Heretoforein laying this game it has been customary for t .e person running orhaving charge of the table, to place a number of marbles, each bearing adifferent number, in a leather bottle, and after shaking the sameviolently, to remove therefrom as many of the marbles as there areplayers and pass one of each of these to a player who observes thenumber and then places it in his pocket. The objection to this procedureis that it is 0 on to fraud, inasmuch as if the attendant is inclined tobe dishonest or to be in cahoots with one or more of the players he willbe enabled, by ob serving the marbles before distributing, and bymanipulating the distribution, to give to the unsus ecting players theknown numbers, and e can impart this knowledge to his colleagues andthey can then readily and easily beat the other layers.

It is the object of t e resent invention, in a ready, simple and toroughly practical manner, to obviate the above objectionable features,and to render it practically impossible for the same player to receivethe same number twice in succession, whereby cheating will be entirelyobviated or rendered so difficult as not to be attempted.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear as the natureof the invention is better understood, the same consists, generallystated, in an apparatus embodying in its construction a revoluble tablehaving a plurality of sockets, pins bearing numbers, and adapted to beseated within the sockets, and a stationary index surrounding the tableand bearing symbols corresponding in number to the pins. In conjunctionwith the table there is tent, which Wil o erate radually to check therotation of t e tab e, and afterward positively lock it againstrotation, so that after the various players have received their rovideda novel form of depins, noted their numbers and returned them to theirrespective sockets, no turning of the table can be effected, nor anyshifting of the pins without detection.

The invention consists further in the various novel details ofconstruction and com bination of parts of a register for pin pool, aswill be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andin which like characters of reference indicate corres ondingparts-Figure 1 is a view in top p an of the apparatus, portions beingbroken away, for the purpose of clearness of illustration; Fig. 2 is aview in vertical transverse section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, andlooking in the direction of the arrow thereof. Fig. 3 is a perspectiveView of one of the pins used in connection with the register.

The apparatus comprises in part a box or casing 1 provided with a hingedcover 2, which may have a suitable lock combined with it if desired.Intermediate of the height of the casing is a se turn or partition 3,which is provided for tl ie purpose of supporting the operatingmechanisms hereinafter described. The front of the casing is providedwith an opening that is closed by a door 4, the object of this openingbeing to ermit access to the casin below the septum for the purpose ofmanipulating the mechanism that actuates the table. Disposed upon theseptum is the index, comprising a hollow cylindrical body 5, a base 6,and an outstanding flange 7. That shown in Fig. 1 is of a size to fitsnugly within the casing in order to be supported with sufiicientrigidity to prevent Wabbling or rocking under the operation of thedevice.

The center of the base is provided with a threaded orifice which isengaged by a thimble 8, the upper and lower end portions of which arecounter-bored to receive ball bearing races 9 and 10 respectively.Engaging the balls in the race 9 is a cone-bearing 11 that is carried bya shaft 12, the lower end of which projects beyond the like portion ofthe thimble and carries a cone-bearing 13 that engages the balls in therace 10. The bearing 11 is rigid with the shaft, but the bearing 13 isadjustably connected to the shaft, to effect which, the lower. end. of.13116112113131. isreducgd and threaded to receivev the: bearmg. in orderto hold the bearing 13 at the desired adjustment relatively to, theballsin the race,

10, a lock nut 14 is, provided, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

Intermediate of the ends of the shaft, 12 is a ratchet wheel 15 that isdesigned to be engaged by the inner end of a spring-pressed detent 16,the outer end of which engages with a hollow shank 17 of an adjusting.the outer wall of the thimble, and the latter against the inner wall ofthe adjusting screw 17. By this arrangement it will be seen that whenthe thumb screw is turned to relax the springs the detent will be freeto yield to the teeth of the ratchet wheel and thus allow the shaft torotate, but at the same time the detent will act as a brake that willtend gradually to cause the shaft to cease its rotations. By turning thethumb screw inward so that the two springs 20 and 21 will be compressedand the inner end of the detent will be projected between two of theratchet teeth, the shaft will be positively locked against rotation. Theshank of the thumb screw is disposed within the vertical slot 22 in oneof the side walls of the casing, thus to permit the operative mechanismto be removed at will.

The upper end of the shaft 12 is threaded and this threaded portion isengaged by a table 23 which is of a size to fit snugly within theopening of the index, and is provided in its upper face with a pluralityof inverted truncated cone-shaped sockets 24 that are adapted to beengaged by similarly shaped pins 25, each of which bears a distinctiveand different number or symbol and is provided with a knob 26 by whichit may be lifted from the socket.

As shown in Fig. 1 there are two series of concentrically-disposed inscarried by the table, the outer one of w ich contains in this instancefifteen pins, and the inner one five,

and this number of pins, twenty in all, will be found to accommodate anynumber of players that will ever occupy a table at one time. It will beobvious, of course, that if a greater number be desired, this mayreadily be secured merely by increasing the size of the index and table.

As shown in Fig. 3, opposite each of the outer circle of pins is aletter of the alphabet, and these range from A to C, and opposite eachof the inner circle ofpins, of which there are five in number, areletters ranging from P to T. As will be seen by reference. to Fig. 3.,the. number. on the pin. is. preferablyorr. its; lower: errdand thiswill-permit inspection by the holder without danger. of being. seen byany one standing close by, so; that. chances of cheating by anunscrupulous person, or a by-stander in imparting. the number to aconfederate in the game will be prevented.

In. the use of the apparatus, the set-screw 17 will be loosened towithdraw the detent out of engagement with the ratchet wheel, and theattendant will insert his arm within the opening of the door 4, graspthe nut 14 and spin the table. This lattermay be permitted to stop ofits own accord, or the thumb screw may be actuated to bring the detentin engagement with the ratchet wheel, and thus lock the table againstrotation in the manner above described. Previous to starting the gameeach player will select a letter on the index and when the time comes toselect a pin, each of the players will take that immediately oppositehis letter, and after observing the number, return it to its socket,after which the attendant will close the lid 2 and thus prevent anyunauthorized person from tampering with the table. At the conclusion ofthe game the thumb screw is again released in the manner described andthe table spun, and the players again select the pins opposite theirrespective letters.

1t will be seen from the foregoing description that although theimprovements herein defined are simple in'character, they will cooperatein the production of a thoroughly efiicient and useful apparatus, andone that will eliminate the objections heretofore present inthe use ofthe ordinary bottle and marbles.

What I claim is 1. An apparatus of the class described comprising arotatable table provided with a plurality of sockets, a slidably mounteddetent controlling the rotation of the table, pins detachably engagingsaid sockets and being provided with distinctive characters whichareconcealed when the pins are in the sockets, and an index surroundingthe table and bearing designating symbols corresponding in number to thepins.

2. An apparatus of the character described comprising a table providedwith a plurality of sockets pins detachably engaging the sockets andprovided with distinctive characters, which are concealed when the pinsare in the sockets, means for rotating the table, a detent for graduallyor suddenly checking the rotation of the table and for holding itagainst movement, and an index surrounding the table and bearing symbolscorresponding in number to the pins.

3. An apparatus of the class described comprising an index embodying abase, a

surrounding wall, and an outstanding flange, a thimble carried by thebase, a shaft projected through the thimble and supported for rotarymovement relatively thereto, a ratchet Wheel carried by the shaft, aspringpressed detent arranged to be engaged with or disengaged from theratchet Wheel, a table carried by the shaft and having a plurality ofsockets, and with the sockets.

In testimony whereof, I afiiX my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

NEVIN A. ARCHIBALD. Witnesses:

H. I. WQODHOUsE, C. W. SWINK.

pins detachably engaging

